Pinot noir from a Bergenfield vineyard? It's on the way

A Bergenfield resident has planted a vineyard at Bergenfield's Cooper Pond which aims to educate and draw visitors to the park's historical property.
Stephanie Noda, Staff Writer

Frank Clark Jr., a Bergenfield resident who created a vineyard at Cooper's Pond, is holding wine making classes to help support the restoration of the historical Tunis R. Cooper property.(Photo: Stephanie Noda/NorthJersey.com)

BERGENFIELD — Although the borough may be thousands of miles away from California’s famous vineyards — in distance as well as ambiance — one resident is bringing Wine Country a little closer to home.

Fred Clark Jr. has planted a vineyard at Cooper's Pond with the borough's permission. The goal is not only to spread the joy of winemaking, but to draw visitors to the historic section of the park.

Bergenfield, with 28,000 people crowded into less than 3 square miles, seems an unlikely spot to cultivate pinot noir grapes.

But Clark has always been a wine enthusiast, a passion he discovered thanks to his father-in-law. Clark has a vineyard on his property, mirroring the one his father-in-law planted almost 30 years ago on his own property.

Making wine, he said, "is a challenge that’s very fulfilling when you get it right.”

The vineyard was planted at the Tunis R. Cooper property at Cooper's Pond in June 2017. It will take another four to five years to fully mature.(Photo: Stephanie Noda/NorthJersey.com)

Two and a half years ago, after experimenting with winemaking, getting closer and closer to the perfect wine, Clark looked out his window to Cooper’s Pond across the road.

Inspiration struck.

When Clark first approached the mayor and council with his idea to grow a vineyard in a public park, "they were skeptical at first." He created an online petition to present to the council, showing how people would support a vineyard that in turn aimed to support the historical section of the park.

Persuaded, borough officials had the head of the DPW tour different areas of town with Clark to see where the soil would best suit a vineyard.

As unlikely as it seems, Clark's original proposed location, near the Tunis R. Cooper property, turned out to have a sandy loam with similar composition to soil found in Napa or Sonoma, California.

Seedlings were planted between the Bergenfield Historical Museum and a barn at the Tunis R. Cooper property, which also includes a millhouse that was once home to a thriving chair factory in the 1800s. The borough purchased this property — which is on the National Register of Historic Places — in 2004.

Clark will also be hosting winemaking classes, starting Saturday, and profits will help with the restoration and upkeep of the historic property. Volunteers are at work painting the exterior of the millhouse.

The vineyard, technically a community garden, will take several years until it has mature vines, said Clark. Twenty-five pinot noir seedlings, imported from a nursery in California, were planted last summer and will need another four to five years to grow.

A small vine seedling grows at the vineyard at Cooper's Pond. When fully mature, the grapes will produce a gallon of wine per vine.(Photo: Stephanie Noda/NorthJersey.com)

The process of creating wine can vary widely depending on the type of wine and the variety of grapes, said Clark. Fermentation can take from 12 months to three years.

Clark says, "My downstairs has been retrofitted into a chemistry lab essentially."

“There’s so much to learn about the process that wines take, from initially fermentation to putting into a bottle,” said Clark. “The first time people made and tasted wine, it was a one in million chance that they got it right. Now, we can replicate those perfect conditions."

Once fully mature, each vine can produce about a gallon of wine, said Clark. That means the vineyard can produce about 125 bottles a year — although Clark would need to apply for an additional permit before doing any bottling.

Email: noda@northjersey.com

IF YOU GO

RSVP for wine making classes at the Bergen County Wine Enthusiasts Meetup page. The classes, which cost $10, will be held once a month on April 28, May 26, June 23, July 28 and August 25. Surplus money will be donated to restoring the millhouse, barn, and stable at Cooper’s Pond.

Participants don't have to live in Bergenfield to participate, said Clark.

"We even have people from New York City who plan to come," he said.

The wine classes will be held at the Cooper's Pond meeting house from 3 to 5 p.m., moving on to a tour of the growing vineyard to discuss viticulture in the field, said Clark. The evening will also include a chemistry test on a genuine fermentation sample and end with a wine tasting. Each class will target a specific wine region.